At the 12th World Masters Basketball Championship in Pesaro, Marche, Italy, the Korean Father Basketball Association (represented by Jung Jae-kwon) lost to Ireland 36-50. ‘Must win!’ Both Korea and Ireland felt the same way. Coming off a loss to heavy favorites Germany, it was a must-win game for both teams to finish second in their group and advance to the round of 16.

After losing 36:82 to the Germans and 23:47 to the Irish, it was expected to be a tough game for Korea, who struggled with the height of the Germans. South Korea started with a different starting lineup than against Germany to bolster their defense and rebounding, putting the strong and physical Jung Jae-kwon in the backcourt and sending long guard Park Ji-young up front. It was a customized strategy against Ireland.

As expected, the game was tight from the start. 0-2, 2-5, 10-13, 20-20…, the game was tightly contested until they finally pulled ahead 31-28 with three minutes left in the third quarter. The hope of a first victory in the tournament spread through the Korean team. Just when they thought they had it, the referee made a series of incomprehensible calls that resulted in free throws for the other team, 토토사이트 추천 and the third quarter ended with the score tied at 34-34.

We were upset about the call, but I encouraged the players to focus on the game instead. We needed the win more than we needed the emotion of the moment. The players were confident. They joined hands to continue as they had been doing. With 10 minutes left in the game, Team Korea regrouped and took to the court with a big cheer.

But that was it. Stamina caught up with them. They lost the physicality battle to Ireland, who rotated in and out of their 12-man lineup, and scored just two points in the fourth quarter. In the meantime, the Irish scored 16 unanswered points, and the game they thought they had in the bag was completely overwhelmed by their exhaustion. The final score was 36-50.

The team was devastated. South Korea, like Germany, had four players on the bench and three non-players rotating in and out for five minutes each. Ireland, on the other hand, had a deep and even roster and kept the same pace throughout the first and fourth quarters. South Korea, outmuscled and outclassed, were left to hang their heads in shame as their footwork slowed down with each passing quarter, and they made a series of unforced errors.

The three-point shot, their main weapon in Asia, went silent against Germany and Ireland, and the stamina of their starters dropped dramatically. The game against Ireland aside, it’s something to think about for the rest of the tournament. International matches require a lot of stamina in many ways, including the way they are played and the amount of time they take, and the Korean players, who are making their first appearance, are finding it difficult to adapt to this.

“It was difficult because we were already exhausted, but it was doubly difficult because the air conditioner wasn’t working. There were too many unexpected variables, not to mention height and skill. I think any team in Korea preparing for an international tournament must take this into consideration. We had a similar experience in the Asian tournament, but we were able to overcome it because we were not outclassed in height. However, against the European teams, we had no answer because we were at a height disadvantage and our stamina was depleted,” he said.

“We were averaging more than 50 points a game, but yesterday and today we only scored 36 points, which is significant. I applaud our players for bouncing back from the size and power disparity and keeping the game close in the third quarter and even taking the lead at one point. I am satisfied that we gained valuable experience today and now we have to regroup for the remaining matches. It was an adventure for us to participate in the 60s with an average age of 67, and we don’t have enough players to beat Europe’s tallest team. However, we will not lose our fighting spirit until the end and will do our best to achieve our goal of one victory.”

Offensive big man Yoon Jin-gu, who single-handedly withstood the opponent’s constantly changing center line and scored the most points against Germany and Ireland, said, “Ireland looked very strong from the first impression, including two big black players, and their performance was actually very high. It was too bad that our physical strength dropped sharply in the fourth quarter, but the players did their best, especially Han Ki-beom, who blocked a shot from a player over two meters tall as if he was spiking a volleyball,” said Yoon.

He also said, “In the case of Ireland, the families of the players followed them to cheer them on, and whenever they made a shot, they stood up and cheered…, and that was the most enviable part of the Korean national team players,” with a look of genuine (?) envy on his face.

The qualifiers are being held in eight groups of three teams, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the round of 16. South Korea has been eliminated with two losses and will play a ranking game with the other three qualifiers. A detailed schedule has not been released, but at least three more games will be played.

Korean Fathers Basketball Association ◆
President Jung Jae-kwon, head coach Park Tae-geun, coaches Lee Jong-im / Han Ki-beom (60‧207cm, KIA), Park Ji-young (64‧188cm, Samsung), Yoon Jin-gu (68‧192cm, Bank of Korea), Cho Dong-il (68‧177cm, Myeongji), Park Tae-geun (70‧173cm‧Kyunggi University), Park Jung-gil (70‧178cm‧Chonnam National University), Kim Se-jong (70‧172cm‧Korea University), Choi Sun-hong (71‧172cm‧Yonsei University), Jung Jae-kwon (70‧180cm‧Yonsei University), Kang Hong-seok (60‧180cm‧Yonsei University)